Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1887-08-08
TO THE LITTLE OLKS.
A Series of Short Talks by Rev. A..
b. Medium.
The First One Last Eyening---The
"PP0digal kOa'---kketeh of the In
tefesting Discourse.

tefesting Discourse.
At the Central Presbyterian church last
evening, Rev. A. B. Medium commenced
a series of short talks to the little folks
on the always interesting subject the
Prodigal SON."
The sermon was based on Luke XIV,
liza. being that part of the Parable of
the Prodigal Son." which sets forth the
youths departure into the far country, his
profiigate sQuander, and subsequent deg
radiation. Among the practical lessons
enforced, were the following:
When Gods service is no longer per-
feet freedom to man, when he begins to
promise himself something better else
where, God allows him to make the trial,
that he may learn, if need be, by most
painful proof, that tue only true freedom
is freedom in God. The germ of all sin
is selfishness; all sin is but the unfolding
of this. Evil desires are not long in
shaping themselves into evil actions.
This young man longing to be free from
the restraints of his fathers presence, is
not long in taking his departure from his
fathers house. The apostasy of the heart
always precedes the apostasy of the life.
A man is a thief before he steals. muir
derer before he kills, licentious and sensual
though unable to crafty his unholy
passions. LAS man thinketh in his
heart so is he" To the individual is left
the decision of his own character, Gods
aid is not compulsion. He will have a
free will offering of obedience. He who
says he is not personally responsible for
the sins he commits. is the meanest kind
of hypocrite. He is unworthy of the
name of man, for he confesses himself q
tool, thing" destitute of every ele>
ment of true manhood.
The prodigal like many another young
fool, starts out with full wallet and an
empty head, No path in life marked out
for himself, from which he is determined
never to deviate. No worthy object be-
fore him for which he is resolved man
fully to struggle Like vessel without
a rudder he sails listlessly on, for time,
perhaps, escaping many of the rocks be
cause too shallow to touch them. There
were lacking in the composition of this
youth that vigor of mind, that fixedness
OF principle, the very prerequisites when
virtue and integrity are put to the test,
and without which all the amiable quali>
ties of heart can never make man esti
mable That mans life will be one big
bluDder who lacks definite and honoras
BILE aim in life, and the force to stand by
the decision of his own mind when he
knows that these decisions are right.
How often has it 10 be said of those who
are cast up, mere moral and physical
wrecks, on the shores of time, that they
were the best hearted and most generous
of fellows. They lacked the qualities
essential to the support of virtue,
Comparatively few of those who get
fairly started on the road to vice stop till
like the prodigal, they are forced to stop
when they have spent all" A wick
pder lie never emaLated from the devil
than that youth is the season when we
may sow our wild oats" No man who
sows vice may hope to reap virtue.
Whatsoever man sUweth that shall he
reap" In this parable our Lord gives us
a hint OF the awful mystery in the down.
ward progress of souls by which he who
begins by using the world as servant to
minister to his self-lndulgence shall see
the day when the world will return the
by using him as drudge.
This was the pr0digafs experience
Behold HIM sent into the field to feed
swine. A Jew, compelled, In order to
keep body and soul together. to do work
most degrading to Jewsl Truly. 1.-The
way of the transgressor is hard" The
friends he made in his wickedness de-
serted him in his want, They always do.
He now finds himself Stunned and de-
'pised as the offscouring of the earth.
even by those who had formerly lived up
On his bounty, and had helped him to
'quander his riches in riot and debsuCb>
cry. The longer man remains in sin,
he more hopeless does his case become.
We are safe only when we are under the |
,are, the counsel, the guidance of "our
Father" All the attempts to satisfy the |
rawlings of the immortal soul apart from
God, are utterly vain. He who departs |
rom God must feel the curse of inces- |
SAINT hunger. and find naught to satisfy |
1ut the "husks that the swine do eat"